Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Fewer people are out of work in Oakland (1.7%) than in 88% of U.S. towns
About one in seven stay in Oakland for work; outside it, Waterville is the main destination (21%, 4 miles). Oakland grades B for jobs and income and C− for walkability. 8% of workers have no commute at all, against 16% across Maine.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Oakland
Oakland trades workers with the towns around it
Oakland has about as many jobs (2,737) as working residents (3,098), but they are mostly different people: 2,674 residents leave for work each day while 2,313 people come in. Only 15% of the jobs in Oakland are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Oakland and Waterville trade workers both ways
Waterville is the top workplace for Oakland residents (21%) and also where the most people who work in Oakland come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Jobs & income in Oakland: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Oakland is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #52 of 143 in Maine. Unemployment holds Oakland’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 37% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Oakland could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
The daily commute in and out of Oakland
On a workday 2,674 residents head out to work, 424 work right here, and 2,313 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.88 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Oakland goes to work
Where Oakland clocks in
21% of workers
16% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
65% of the jobs in Oakland pay over $3,333 a month
2,737 jobs are based in Oakland.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oakland, 2013 → 2023: 2,100 → 2,737. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Oakland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Oakland: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oakland workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,688 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from Oakland
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Driving is how Oakland gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Oakland is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns, #99 of 143 in Maine. Both inputs place Oakland near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,936 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.6% of Oakland households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Oakland’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Oakland is 1,319th among 3,255 U.S. towns of 4,500 to 8,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 705 | Arundel ME | 4,596 | $102K | 5.9% | 3.0% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 725 | Hollis ME | 5,003 | $96K | 5.7% | 1.8% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 781 | Hermon ME | 6,982 | $97K | 6.8% | 0.4% | 13% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,317 | Winthrop Harbor IL | 6,525 | $96K | 5.2% | 9.9% | 3% | B |
| 1,318 | Valley Center Township KS | 5,036 | $61K | 6.1% | 3.2% | 8% | B |
| 1,319 | Oakland ME | 6,361 | $78K | 8.1% | 1.7% | 14% | B |
| 1,320 | Palmyra NY | 7,319 | $67K | 8.1% | 2.2% | 9% | B |
| 1,321 | Bear Valley Springs CA | 5,912 | $120K | 4.6% | 3.4% | 7% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 3,255 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Oakland, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
23% of Oakland works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Oakland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | – | B | C− | 27 min | $77,813 |
| Belgrade | 2% | B− | D | 23 min | $88,338 |
| Waterville | 21% | C− | A | 18 min | $53,580 |
| Smithfield | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Sidney | under 2% | B− | D | 25 min | $83,488 |
Same-state neighbors only. Smithfield: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Waterville. Darker towns draw more of Oakland’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Oakland: questions
What is the median household income in Oakland?
$77,813 (±$16,086) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oakland?
8.1%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oakland?
27 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oakland work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waterville (21%, 4 mi), Augusta (16%, 17 mi), Winslow (4%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Oakland walkable?
Oakland is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Oakland without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oakland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oakland
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.